5 Rules of Thumb for Motivating Remote Employees Effectively

15 RULES la OF THUMB FOR MOTIVATING REMOTE EMPLOYEES EFFECTIVELY REMOTE WORK FACTS AND FIGURES has become the norm ON REMOTE WORK due to COVID-19. But this solution is not free from its 4.7 MILLION people own set of challenges. How can managers keep were working remotely even before the COVID-19 pandemic (Source: Flexjobs via Review42) employees motivated in the virtual workspace? 88% of companies worldwide made remote work mandatory for their employees (Source: Gartner) An estimated 25-30% of the global workforce will have multiple Mol permanent remote working days in a week by the end of 2021. (Source: Global Workforce Analytics) Taking breaks is deemed the #1 most effective way to stay productive, 37% of employees say in a survey. (Source: Airtasker via Business News Daily) 33% said having In the same survey, set working hours is the second most effective way to be on top of tasks. (Source: Airtasker via Review42) In the U.S., companies that allow remote work report 25% lower employee turnover rates. (Source: Owl Labs) There is a 9% "team building" in 2020 as businesses continue to plan for online social activities for employee engagement. (Source: Think with Google) /0 increase in the search term 19% of remote workers say loneliness is one of their biggest struggles with the set-up (Source: Buffer) Alongside this, 20% identify remote work communication as challenging. (Source: Buffer) A survey of almost IU,000 American employees reports that they are happiest when they work at least once a day in the office and the rest remotely. (Source: Gallup via HBR) 5 RULES OF THUMB FOR MOTIVATING REMOTE EMPLOYEES EFFECTIVELY 1: KEEP YOUR LINES OPEN. Your employees must feel like they are allowed and have the time to consult any work-related concerns with you. Clear your calendar and have one to two hours of free time every week to set up a video conference call and invite your direct reports to talk to you about anything. This can be a great way to make employees be heard and feel less alone, which is crucial in these times. 2: MONITOR RESULTS, NOT HOURS WORKED Instead of the work hours rendered by your team members, focus on the metrics specific to their roles that they are hitting. Have your team list down both job-specific and over- all career goals and guide them in mapping out met- rics and a plan to achieve those. Looking at hours is not always the most effective way to measure an employee's efficiency. 3. RESPECT EMPLOYEE BOUNDARIES Be mindful of work-related messages when your employees are on leave or after designated working hours. Have a system in place that indicates whether an employee has logged in for the day and follow those hours, either via chat status or calendar timestamps. Messaging employees after hours will lead to more burnout and stress, especially when they should not be thinking about work. 4 PLAN ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES Try to revive the in-office culture by planning creative games that will make your team continue to bond. This is helpful if you have new hires, too. Play simple online games, host virtual parties, or send care packages to your employees from time to time. This could be in the form of sending out popcorn during a movie night-anything that makes them feel connected. 5 SHOW APPRECIATION FOR TEAM EFFORTS Make sure to have a monthly recognition program for any wins or successful efforts your team has led lately. For 40 years, Guthrie-Jensen Consultants has been the leading provider of workshops and seminars in the Philippines that transform ordinary managers to high-performing leaders. 40 уears Sources: Airtasker | Buffer | Gartner | Global Workforce Analytics Harvard Business Review | Owl Labs | Review42| Think with Google Guthrie Jensen GLOBA L TRAINING C ONSULTANTS www.facebook.com/guthriejensen www.linkedin.com/guthrie-jensen-consultants-inc www.twitter.com/guthriejensen